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Sethuraman Panchanathan

Indian–American computer engineer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sethuraman Panchanathan
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Sethuraman Panchanathan (born 1960/1961)[1] is an Indian–American computer scientist and academic administrator, and served as the 15th Director of the U.S. National Science Foundation from 2020 to 2025.[2]

Quick facts 15th Director of the National Science Foundation, President ...

He previously served at Arizona State University as executive vice president of knowledge enterprise development and the chief research and innovation officer. He was the founding director of the Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing (CUbiC), Foundation Chair of Computing and Informatics at ASU, and a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence (SCAI), part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.[3]

In January 2025, Panchanathan was announced as a recipient of the Padma Shri, the Government of India's fourth-highest civilian award.[4][5] The award was conferred by President Droupadi Murmu at the May 2025 Civil Investiture Ceremony-II.[6]

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Early life and education

Panchanathan was born in Chennai, India.[7] He attended Vivekananda College (University of Madras), graduating in 1981 with a B.Sc. in physics.[8] In 1984, he earned a B.E. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India.[9]

In 1986, he completed his M.Tech. in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. He later enrolled in the doctoral program at the University of Ottawa and received his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering in 1989[10] while working under the direction of Morris Goldberg.[11]

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Career

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Academic

University of Ottawa

In 1989, Panchanathan joined the University of Ottawa as assistant professor and in 1994 was promoted to associate professor.[12]

Arizona State University

In 1997, Panchanathan joined ASU in Tempe, Arizona as a tenured associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering[13]. In 2001, he was promoted to full professor and founded the Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing (CUbiC)[14] and became an IEEE fellow for his contributions to compressed domain processing and indexing in visual computing and communications.[15] He also founded and led the School of Computing and Informatics (2006-2009) and the Department of Biomedical Informatics (2005-2007).[14]

Panchanathan was appointed ASU's chief research officer in 2009,[16] and in 2011, was promoted to senior vice president of ASU's Office of Knowledge Enterprise Development.[17]

In 2016, Panchanathan became executive vice president of ASU Knowledge Enterprise Development and chief research and innovation officer. He served in this role until his nomination as Director of the National Science Foundation in 2020.[18]

U.S. National Science Foundation

On June 13, 2014, President Barack Obama nominated Panchanathan to the National Science Board of the National Science Foundation (NSF).[19]

On December 19, 2019, President Donald Trump nominated Panchanathan as Director of the National Science Foundation; the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on June 18, 2020 and he assumed office on June 23, 2020.[20][7]

In 2022, Panchanathan announced the formation of the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP), the first new directorate formed by the NSF in more than 30 years.[21] Other notable achievements during his tenure include a new GRANTED program to broaden participation in research and education,[22] the establishment of a network of 27 National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes,[23][24] the creation of the Global Centers Program to support "large-scale use-inspired research in collaboration with international partners to address global challenges that cannot be solved by any single country,"[25] and the launch of the Regional Innovation Engines[26] program to expand the geography of place-based innovation

He resigned as director on April 24, 2025, stating, "I believe I have done all I can to advance the critical mission of the agency and feel that it is time for me to pass the baton to new leadership."[27][28]

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Controversies

Arizona State University Lawsuit

In February 2021, Dr. Cynthia Sagers, a professor and former Vice President for Research at ASU's Knowledge Enterprise, filed a lawsuit against ASU and Panchanathan, alleging that Panchanathan demoted Sagers after she raised concerns about his behavior. ASU conducted an internal investigation into the allegations and concluded that the claims were unsubstantiated; the university proceeded with the demotion, effective December 1, 2020.[29] The lawsuit was later terminated by the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona by a granted motion for summary judgement.[30]

U.S. National Science Foundation

On February 4, 2025, 168 NSF workers, representing approximately 10% of the workforce, were fired as part of mass layoffs in the U.S. federal workforce. Panchanathan's absence from the firing meetings was criticized by other NSF employees.[31][32][33]

Research

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Panchanathan presenting at TEDxASU in Tempe (2017)

Panchanathan's research interests include Human-centered Multimedia Computing (HCMC),[34] assistive and rehabilitative technologies,[35] haptic user interfaces, face/gait analysis and recognition, medical image processing, media processor designs and ubiquitous computing environments for enhancing quality of life for individuals with disabilities.[36] He has mentored over 100 students and scholars, including graduate students, post-docs, research engineers and research scientists.[37] He spoke on the importance of fostering a culture of innovation to solve grand challenges that society faces today in a 2017 TEDxASU presentation.[38]

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Personal life

Panchanathan is married to Sarada "Soumya" Panchanathan.[39] They have two children and three grandchildren.[3]

Awards, appointments and fellowships

Awards and Recognitions

  • Padma Shri Award: Government of India, 2025.[40]
  • Distinguished Career Award in Computer Science and Policy, Washington Academy of Sciences, 2022.[41]
  • IEEE-USA Award for Distinguished Public Service, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)-USA, 2021.[42]
  • Distinguished Alumnus Award, Indian Institute of Science, 2020.[43]
  • Distinguished Alumnus Award, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, 2017.[44]
  • Alumnus of the Year for Professional Excellence Award, University of Ottawa, 2017.[45]
  • COO of the Year: Recognized by Phoenix Business Journal, 2017.[46]
  • 20 People to Know in Arizona Education: Listed by Phoenix Business Journal, 2017.[47]
  • Microsoft Imagine Cup: World Finals in Touch and Tablet category for CUbiC iCARE Note-Taker Project, Warsaw, Poland, 2010.[48]
  • Governor's Innovator of the Year for Academia Award: Governor's Celebration of Innovation Awards for iCARE (Information Technology Centric Assistive and Rehabilitative Environments) for Individuals who are Blind and Visually Impaired, Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing, 2004.[49]

Appointments

Fellowships

  • Fellow, National Academy of Inventors (NAI).
  • Fellow, Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE).
  • Member, Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (VASEM).
  • Fellow, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
  • Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
  • Fellow, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
  • Fellow, Society for Photo–Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).
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Published Works

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References

External links

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